Field of broken dreams

Ben Hines Field is slated to be torn down at the end of the baseball season in May to make room for a new parking lot.

The University finds it necessary to build the lot to go along with the new dorms that are to be finished by fall 2012.

When making plans for the new lot, ULV seems to have forgotten to take into consideration that multiple teams play on the baseball field: men’s and women’s soccer and of course baseball.

The teams have yet to be notified where they will be practicing next season, but according to Provost Greg Dewey there is a great possibility that they will be playing games at the fields at Damien High School or Mount San Antonio College.

The problem with La Verne playing at other schools is that the other schools also play on those fields creating an even bigger problem.

When it comes time for those schools to use their own fields, our teams will be left in the cold if they need to practice or play “home” games.

Another thing that the University has failed to take into consideration is how convenient Ben Hines Field is for the athletes.

The players can go to and from practice in a matter of minutes and moving them off-campus will make it a lot harder for them to make it on time to class or practice.

La Verne will be losing yet another on-campus sports team to make room for a parking lot.

Men’s and women’s water polo, women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and softball all play and practice off-campus.

When the field is torn down all that will be left on campus will be football, volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball.

Students go to college with the expectation to be able to go out on Saturday afternoon or evening, and show their school pride by cheering on their team to victory. That is quickly becoming a rarity, and almost non-existent, at La Verne. Unlike other students that have the opportunity to display school spirit Leos are being drained of their support and banished to foreign land.

Leaving so many sports teams off-campus and in the dark is something that many present students are unhappy about, and something that will affect future student-athletes.

Many of the student-athletes that come to La Verne only come to the University to play the sports. Tearing down the field and pushing three major sports teams off campus will not only diminish the already floundering school spirit but it will also affect recruitment and enrollment.

As it stands the baseball team is in second place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a record of 17-7, just two games behind Redlands. So not only will the University be pushing off one of its most popular teams, but also a potential first place team that has brought so much to La Verne.

It is time for the University to stop making rash decisions just because they are excited the enrollment is rising.

They need to work on their communication skills and make better plans to ensure that the choices they make are for the greater good of the entire University and not just their legacy.